# What You'll Need:
→ Vanilla Cake
01 - 3 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
03 - ½ teaspoon salt
04 - 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
05 - 2 cups granulated sugar
06 - 4 large eggs, room temperature
07 - 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
08 - 1 ¼ cups whole milk
→ Buttercream
09 - 2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
10 - 6 cups powdered sugar, sifted
11 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
12 - 3–4 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
13 - Teal gel food coloring
→ Geode Decoration
14 - 2 cups rock sugar crystals (clear or white)
15 - Teal gel food coloring
16 - Edible gold leaf or gold luster dust
17 - Clear alcohol (such as vodka), for painting gold
→ Assembly
18 - Simple syrup (optional, for moistening cake layers)
# Method:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line three 8-inch round cake pans. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Cream the butter and sugar in a separate large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, incorporating fully after each addition, then stir in vanilla extract. Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk to the creamed mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until smooth, then divide batter evenly among cake pans.
02 - Bake for 28–32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool in pans for 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
03 - Using an electric mixer, beat butter until smooth and creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, mixing thoroughly. Incorporate vanilla extract and heavy cream or milk until buttercream is spreadable. Tint most buttercream with teal gel food coloring; reserve a portion untinted for the crumb coat.
04 - Place rock sugar crystals in a bowl. Add teal gel food coloring and gently stir until evenly coated. If damp from coloring, spread on parchment to dry.
05 - Level cake layers as needed. Optionally, brush each layer with simple syrup to enhance moisture. Stack layers, spreading a thin layer of buttercream between each. Apply a crumb coat with reserved uncolored buttercream, then chill for 20 minutes. Frost cake evenly with teal-tinted buttercream, smoothing top and sides.
06 - With a serrated cake knife, carve a wedge or slice into the side of the cake to expose its interior. Spread a thin layer of buttercream in the carved area. Press teal sugar crystals into the buttercream, using lighter crystals at the center and darker tones at the edges for depth. Decorate the border of the geode slice with edible gold leaf or gold luster dust mixed with clear alcohol, using a food-safe paintbrush for a metallic accent.
07 - Complete decoration with additional gold accents if desired. Place a graduation-themed topper on the cake for occasion-specific presentation.
